Our latest Fine Focus Workshop completed, I was cleaning out all the junk a fellow instructor left in my van, finding among the empty and full water bottles, coffee cups, donut crumbs, and paper napkins his fine digital SLR and his Linhof tripod. It occurred to me that there are unspoken “Commandments of Cruising for Snaps” with others. I started writing them down. There are more than ten. Here’s the first installment, “Photographing Commandments.”
Students left my van clean, by the way. An instructor left all the stuff. He knows who he is.
“Vehicle Commandments” and “Restaurant Commandments” will follow.
What did I miss? We’re adding this to our 80-plus-page handout, credit will be given to additions we decide to incorporate.
PHOTOGRAPHING COMMANDMENTS
Thou shalt be allowed to call for a stop to photograph at any time, and it shall be done.
Thou shalt share thy favorite secret places with thy companions, especially if thou likest thy companions.
Thou art allowed to swear them to secrecy concerning the location of thy secret places, including turning off those damn GPS things.
Thou shalt work efficiently and quickly, so that others do not constantly wait for thee.
Thou shalt wait patiently for others who work more slowly than thee, or make more pictures.
Thou shalt not tread in thy companions’ pictures, especially in snow.
Thou shalt refrain from critiquing thy companions’ pictures, unless specifically asked to do so.
Thou shalt refrain from asking to look through another’s groundglass or viewfinder.
Thou shalt only murmur appreciatively if asked to look through another’s groundglass.
Thou shalt not seek out thy companions’ tripod holes after they depart them.
Thou shalt not stare or shoot over thy companions’ shoulder.
Thou shalt be enthusiastically supportive of companions, no matter how bad thou thinkest art their pictures.
Thou shalt bring all needed equipment and film, so that thou doest refrain from mooching.
Thou shalt refrain from distracting others while they concentrate on making their photographs.
Thou shalt refrain from placing thy companions at risk of physical harm by taking them to places too dangerous.
If thou makest pictures of thy companions in action, thou owest them prints, no matter how unsuccessful thou thinkest the photographs, or how ugly art thy companions.
..with tongue only partly in cheek,
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